Magazine for a firearm

ABSTRACT

A magazine for a firearm with a bar-shaped housing which has a base form that is rectangular in cross-section and in which a follower is guided, a loading space situated above the follower for accommodating a plurality of cartridges, each of which has a propellant and a projectile, and a spring situated below the follower, which presses the follower upward, where the magazine has a grip element permanently connected to the follower, with which the follower can be displaced downward against the force of the spring, the housing has two openings, opposite to one another, running along the direction of movement of the follower and the grip element has two grip areas situated on opposite sides of the follower, said grip areas being accessible externally so that the grip element can be held with two fingers of one hand, and the grip areas do not protrude beyond the rectangular base form.

The invention concerns a magazine for a firearm with a bar-shaped housing in which a follower is guided, a loading space situated above the follower for accommodating a plurality of cartridges and a spring situated below the follower, which presses the follower upward.

Such magazines, also referred to as box magazines, are popular, particularly for pistols. They can typically accommodate between five and 40 cartridges which are arranged in a row or multiple rows in the loading space. The force of the spring presses the follower—sometimes also referred to as a spring follower or magazine follower—upward, feeding the cartridges in the loading space to an opening situated at the upper end of the bar-shaped housing. From there they are brought into a firing position by a mechanism of the firearm. Reliable magazine function requires a relatively strong spring.

To load such magazines with cartridges, these are generally inserted manually and individually, one after the other, into the opening found at the top end of the magazine. The follower must be moved downward against the force of the spring for this far enough that there is sufficient space created to accommodate the respective cartridges. Considerable effort is necessary for this due to the strong spring. Particularly for people with relatively little finger strength, loading the magazine can be cumbersome and uncomfortable. If a larger number of magazines is to be loaded in a short time, even seasoned users reach their limits.

There are various auxiliary devices known to simplify magazine loading. This involves so-called loading devices or loading aids on which the magazine to be loaded is placed. Then the loading devices or aids usually work similar to the finger of the user in a conventional loading process on the uppermost cartridge of those already located in the magazine in each case, pressing it downward so that the next cartridge can be inserted with greater ease. However, such loading devices or aids are not very common, because they are specially adapted to a particular type of magazine and are not able to be used with all types. Furthermore, buying and carrying such loading devices or aids is difficult and bothersome.

One example of a similar loading aid is known from the publication DE 10 2015 006 801 B3.

Starting from this, the task of the invention is to provide a magazine for a firearm which can be loaded with cartridges with greater ease.

The magazine is intended for a firearm and has

-   -   a bar-shaped housing in which a follower is guided,     -   a loading space situated above the follower for accommodating a         plurality of cartridges, each of which has a propellant and a         projectile, and     -   a spring situated below the follower, which presses the follower         upward, where     -   the magazine has a grip element permanently connected to the         follower, with which the follower can be displaced downward         against the force of the spring, with the grip element being         accessible externally so that it can be held with two fingers of         one hand.

The magazine is intended for use in a firearm of a particular type and consequently has dimensions which fit into a receiving shaft of this weapon type in the manner envisaged. It can be a single-row or double-row magazine in particular. The directional information top, bottom, front and back always refer now and below to the position of the magazine used in the manner intended in a firearm. The opening of the magazine through which the cartridges are guided out of the magazine into the firing position is then generally found at the top, and the front end of the magazine points toward a barrel of the firearm.

The follower is guided in the housing, i.e. it can move up and down therein. In a magazine completely loaded with cartridges, the follower is located in a lower stop position in which the spring is largely compressed and in which the follower is situated near to a base of the magazine or bordering on it. If the magazine is empty, the follower is located in an upper stop position close to the opening of the magazine situated at the upper end of the housing. The loading space of the magazine is located above the magazine follower. It extends up to the opening of the magazine situated at the upper end of the housing. Its size varies depending on the position of the follower.

In the invention, the magazine has a grip element which is permanently connected to the follower. A single-piece embodiment of the follower and grip element is included. The grip element is externally accessible so that it can be held with two fingers of one hand, for example with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. The housing of the magazine can be held at the same time, for example with the other hand. It is also possible to support the housing on an object, for example on a table, while moving the follower. This makes it possible to move the follower downward against the force of the spring by grasping the grip element.

Conventional magazines do not have this possibility, because the follower is situated inside the housing and is not externally accessible. However, with conventional magazines there is a possibility of acting on the magazine follower from the opening located at the top end of the magazine, which is why in conventional magazines compression of the spring by hand cannot take place by direct action on the follower, but rather only indirectly by the cartridges inserted one after the other into the magazine. With the invention, in contrast, it is possible to move the follower downward without much ado thanks to the grip element, enlarging the loading space this way such that one or more cartridges can be inserted with ease. However, no additional force, or in any case only a little force, need be exerted on the follower via the cartridge. The insertion of cartridges is very simple this way and is possible without noteworthy effort. Magazine loading is considerably simplified and can also be performed comfortably and largely without tiring by people with little finger strength.

In particular, the magazine can be loaded simply in the manner described without resorting to additional equipment such as a loading aid. It is not necessary to provision or carry additional equipment. Instead, for loading the magazine, one requires only the magazine itself and the cartridges to be inserted, as with conventional magazines as well.

In one embodiment, the housing has two openings, opposite to one another, running along the direction of movement of the follower, which facilitate grasping the grip element. The openings can be formed in a slit or stripe form, for example. They run along a movement direction of the follower, in particular between an upper stop position of the follower (with an empty magazine) and a lower stop position of the follower (with a completely loaded magazine). Then manual movement of the follower is simple over its entire path of movement.

In one embodiment, the housing has a base form that is rectangular in cross-section, with a back wall, a front wall and two lateral walls which form the longer sides of the rectangle and have one of the two openings in each case. The rectangular base form can have corners which are more or less strongly rounded. The walls can be straight, but can also have a form deviating from that. In particular, the front wall can be curved, with its curvature adapted to the shape of the cartridges to be inserted. The arrangement of the two openings on the longitudinal edges of the rectangle facilitate particularly simple access to the grip element situated correspondingly with respect to the openings.

In one embodiment, the grip element has two grip areas situated on opposite sides of the follower. The grip areas can be designed with a trough shape or with a roughened and/or particularly slip-proof surface structure. If they are situated on opposite sides of the magazine follower, they can be held in a particularly simple manner with two fingers of one hand.

In one embodiment, the grip areas are situated in each case behind one of the openings, so that they are accessible through the openings. In this case, the grip elements are located inside of a space circumscribed by the cross-section of the bar-shaped housing. The openings are dimensioned such that the grip areas can be held securely through the openings.

In one embodiment, the grip areas protrude outward from the housing in each case out of one of the openings. This arrangement can simplify grasping of the grip areas. In particular, the grip areas or grip element respectively can have edges and abutting surfaces thereon which can be held securely when tensioning the follower against the force of the spring, without slipping.

In one embodiment, a cross-section of the housing has two constrictions situated opposite one another, in which the openings are situated. In the area of the constrictions, which are placed in particular on the lateral walls of the essentially rectangular cross-section of the housing, the walls of the housing are offset inward compared to the rectangular base form of the cross-section. The openings are located in the area of the constrictions. This embodiment of the lateral walls can stabilize the housing, which can be important in view of openings with relatively large areas in some cases. A further advantage of the constrictions is that grip areas can be formed on the follower which protrude outward and do not extend beyond the rectangular base form of the housing. In this case, handling the magazine follower with the protruding grip areas is particularly easy, while the magazine continues to be insertable in a receiving shaft adapted to the rectangular base form of the magazine.

In one embodiment, a pull cord is attached on the follower, which protrudes from an opening in the magazine base plate and which has the grip element on a free end. The grip element can be a final section of the pull cord itself, optionally formed into a knot or other thickening, or it can be a separate element, for example a ball attached on the pull cord. In any case, simple gripping of the grip element is possible with two fingers of one hand, and the magazine follower can be moved downward against the force of the spring by pulling on the grip element of the pull cord. The design of the solution is particularly simple, and displacement of the magazine follower is possible with little effort. In particular, the bar-shaped housing can be implemented with a cross-section essentially closed on all sides as with conventional magazines.

The pull cord is elastic in one embodiment. This can avoid the free end with the grip element protruding further than necessary from the opening in the magazine base plate. The elasticity of the pull cord can thus the matched to the spring of the magazine in such a way that the elastic forces exerted by the pull cord are always smaller than those exerted by the spring. As long as the grip element is not pulled, the follower then moves according to the level of spring force, which facilitates reliable feeding of the cartridges to the firearm.

In one embodiment, a minimum length of the pull cord is dimensioned such that the grip element lies on an underside of the magazine base plate or almost lies thereon if the follower is situated in the lower stop position. In this case, the elastic pull cord is essentially fully contracted. One advantage is that the grip element does not protrude further from the housing than necessary.

In one embodiment, a maximum length of the pull cord is dimensioned such that the grip element lies on an underside of the magazine base plate or almost lies thereon if the follower is situated in the upper stop position. In this case, the elastic pull cord is stretched as far as possible. In particular, the elastic pull cord can have an inelastic component, for example a core made of steel wire. The length stated ensures that the magazine follower can reach its upper stop position. Moreover, limitation stated for elasticity for the pull cord enables the follower to be guided downward with precision.

In one embodiment, the pull cord is matched to the opening in the magazine base plate in such a way that it can only be pulled through the opening by overcoming a friction force, where the friction force is smaller than the force exerted by the spring on the follower. For example, the friction force can be in the range of 5% to 50% of the maximum force exerted by the spring. In this case, the friction force hinders neither the movement downward of the follower by pulling on the grip element of the pull cord nor the upward movement of the follower during use of the firearm. At the same time it prevents the pull cord from slipping deeper into the opening in the magazine base plate than is necessary for the respective position of the follower. The pull cord is always in an essentially taut situation in the interior of the magazine housing between the follower and the opening in the magazine base plate. The particular advantage of this solution is that the section of the pull cord protruding outward from the opening in the magazine base plate gives information on the position of the follower and thus on the state of loading in the magazine. Since the magazine base plate is generally visible in a magazine inserted into a firearm, the state of loading for the magazine can also be determined from the pull cord with a magazine inserted into the firearm.

The invention will be explained in more detail below based on embodiments represented in figures. These show in

FIG. 1 a first embodiment of a magazine in a schematic representation, viewed from behind,

FIG. 2 the magazine from FIG. 1 in a top view from the side,

FIG. 3 a second embodiment of a magazine in a schematic representation of the cross-section,

FIG. 4 a third embodiment of a magazine in a schematic representation, viewed from behind,

FIG. 5 the magazine from FIG. 4 in a top view from the side.

The same reference labels are used for all embodiments.

The magazine from FIG. 1 has a bar-shaped housing 10, which is closed in the downward direction by a magazine base plate 12 and which has on its top end an opening 14 through which cartridges 16 are inserted into the magazine 10. The cartridges 16 are also supplied through this opening 14 to a firearm into which the magazine is inserted.

The example shows a magazine with two rows. The two opposing lateral walls 28 are essentially recognizable from the housing 10. At its top end, the housing 10 tapers to form the opening 14. There is a magazine follower 18 about in the middle of the housing 10, said follower 18 being guided in the housing 10 and able to move upward and downward.

The loading space 20 of the magazine is located above the follower 18; in the example in FIG. 1, five cartridges 16 are situated in the magazine. There is a spring 22 situated below the follower 18, which is supported on the magazine base plate 12 and presses the follower 18 upward in the direction of the opening 14. The follower 18 has two grips 24 opposite one another, each facing one of the lateral walls 28 of the magazine 10, said grips together forming a grip element. There is a grip area 26 pointing outward and situated on each of the two grips 24.

One sees in the side view of FIG. 2 that the lateral walls 28 have a longitudinal opening 30 in each case. It runs in a direction of movement for the follower 18 and extends from a lower stop position of the follower 18 which is not shown and which the follower assumes when the magazine is fully loaded up to an upper stop position of the follower 18 which is also not shown and in which the last cartridge is situated in the area of the opening 14 or which is assumed when there are no more cartridges 16 in the magazine.

In FIG. 2, one sees that the grip areas 26 are in each case situated behind one of the openings 30 and are easily accessible externally. It is also seen in FIG. 2 that the cartridges have in each case a projectile 32 and a cylindrical section in which a propellant 34 is situated.

The magazine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a base form which is essentially rectangular in cross-section. In particular, the lateral walls 28 essentially run straight in the cross-section. In a middle section, they are interrupted by the openings 30.

In the second embodiment of FIG. 3, which is only shown in cross-section, the lateral walls 28 have two constrictions 36 opposite one another, in each of which one of the openings 30 is situated. The lateral walls 28 deviate inward from their straight course in this area. The grips 24 which are permanently connected to the follower 18 and the grip areas 26 extend out of the openings 30 but without protruding beyond the external contour of the lateral walls 28 corresponding to the rectangular base form.

The third embodiment is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In contrast to the two other embodiments, there the magazine has closed lateral walls 28. The front and back walls of the housing 10, which are not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, are likewise closed Therefore direct access to the magazine follower 18 is not possible with this embodiment. However, there is a pull cord 38, the end of which is permanently attached to the follower 18 and the free end of which has a grip element in the form of a small ball 40. The pull cord 38 is guided through an opening 42 in the magazine base plate 12, so that the ball 40 is an externally accessible without difficulty. It can be held with two fingers of one hand in order to move the magazine follower 18 downward against the force of the spring 22.

LIST OF REFERENCE LABELS

-   10 housing -   12 magazine base plate -   14 opening -   16 cartridge -   18 follower -   20 loading space -   22 spring -   24 grip -   26 grip area -   28 lateral wall -   30 opening -   32 projectile -   34 propellant -   36 constriction -   38 pull cord -   40 ball -   42 opening in the magazine base plate 

1. A magazine for a firearm with a bar-shaped housing which has a base form that is rectangular in cross-section and in which a follower is guided, a loading space situated above the follower for accommodating a plurality of cartridges, each of which has a propellant and a projectile, and a spring situated below the follower, which presses the follower upward, where the magazine has a grip element permanently connected to the follower, with which the follower can be displaced downward against the force of the spring, the housing has two openings, opposite to one another, running along the direction of movement of the follower, and the grip element has two grip areas situated on opposite sides of the follower, said grip areas being accessible externally so that the grip element can be held with two fingers of one hand, and the grip areas do not protrude beyond the rectangular base form.
 2. A magazine according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a base form that is rectangular in cross-section with a rear wall, a front wall and two lateral walls which form the longer sides of the rectangle and have one of the two openings in each case.
 3. A magazine according to claim 1, wherein the grip areas are situated behind one of the openings in each case, so that they are accessible through the openings.
 4. A magazine according to claim 3, wherein grip areas each protrude outward from the housing from one of the openings.
 5. A magazine according to claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the housing has two constrictions situated opposite one another, said constrictions having openings situated in them.
 6. A magazine for a firearm with a bar-shaped housing in which a follower is guided, a loading space situated above the follower for accommodating a plurality of cartridges, each of which has a propellant and a projectile, and a spring situated below the follower, which presses the follower upward, where the magazine has a grip element permanently connected to the follower, with which the follower can be displaced downward against the force of the spring, the grip element is accessible externally so that it can be held with two fingers of one hand, and an elastic pull cord is attached to the follower, said cord emerging from an opening in a magazine base plate and having the grip element on a free end.
 7. A magazine according to claim 6, wherein a minimum length of the pull cord is dimensioned such that the grip element lies on an underside of the magazine base plate or almost lies thereon if the follower is situated in a lower stop position.
 8. A magazine according to claim 6, wherein a maximum length of the pull cord is dimensioned such that the grip element lies on an underside of the magazine base plate or almost lies thereon if the follower is situated in an upper stop position.
 9. A magazine according to claim 6, wherein the pull cord is matched to the opening in the magazine base plate in such a way that it can only be pulled through this opening by overcoming a friction force, where the friction force is smaller than the force exerted by the spring on the follower. 